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This is a glorious day!!!!
Ok, so I was browsing Youtube for some reviews of the Ascend Mate 7 and I came across this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNVV20U5qtU (website here: http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/09/huawei-ascend-mate-7-first-impressions.html)
The reviewer (Alexander Maxham) said that he had a Chinese version that was sent to him by Huawei. I asked in the comments whether he had tried any North American SIM cards, and these are the responses I got:
Me:
Thanks for the video. Quick question. I assume you're in North America somewhere, have you tested the Chinese version that you have on any of the North American Networks? There seems to be some confusion about whether there will be a US-specific version of the device or if the Chinese version will give HSPA+ or LTE in the US and Canada.
Alex:
Right now, I have a AT&T sim in there, and it's only HSPA+. But it should work completely on T-Mobile's LTE network. I don't have their SIM right now but should have one in a few days.
Me:
Okay great. If you could give us update when you get it and try it, i'm sure many people would appreciate it. This phone looks great btw. It's almost certainly going to be my next phone (coming from Note 3). I'll subscribe so I can see your full review when it's posted.
Alex:
It fully works on T-Mobile. About the same speeds as my T-Mobile branded LG G3 is getting. Kind of weird usually foreign phones work completely on AT&T and only get EDGE and sometimes HSPA+ on T-Mobile. But it's full on LTE this time around, which is great.
I see no reason to doubt him. And this makes me very happy. Full LTE on T-Mobile!
Wooohoooooo!!!!!!!
Techngro said:
This is a glorious day!!!!
Ok, so I was browsing Youtube for some reviews of the Ascend Mate 7 and I came across this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNVV20U5qtU (website here: http://www.androidheadlines.com/2014/09/huawei-ascend-mate-7-first-impressions.html)
The reviewer (Alexander Maxham) said that he had a Chinese version that was sent to him by Huawei. I asked in the comments whether he had tried any North American SIM cards, and these are the responses I got:
Me:
Thanks for the video. Quick question. I assume you're in North America somewhere, have you tested the Chinese version that you have on any of the North American Networks? There seems to be some confusion about whether there will be a US-specific version of the device or if the Chinese version will give HSPA+ or LTE in the US and Canada.
Alex:
Right now, I have a AT&T sim in there, and it's only HSPA+. But it should work completely on T-Mobile's LTE network. I don't have their SIM right now but should have one in a few days.
Me:
Okay great. If you could give us update when you get it and try it, i'm sure many people would appreciate it. This phone looks great btw. It's almost certainly going to be my next phone (coming from Note 3). I'll subscribe so I can see your full review when it's posted.
Alex:
It fully works on T-Mobile. About the same speeds as my T-Mobile branded LG G3 is getting. Kind of weird usually foreign phones work completely on AT&T and only get EDGE and sometimes HSPA+ on T-Mobile. But it's full on LTE this time around, which is great.
I see no reason to doubt him. And this makes me very happy. Full LTE on T-Mobile!
Wooohoooooo!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the update, does he have any speed tests to show that his speeds are the same as on his G3?
sanjsrik said:
thanks for the update, does he have any speed tests to show that his speeds are the same as on his G3?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He hasn't posted his full review yet, only the unboxing. I'm sure he'll discuss the speeds he's getting when he does his full review.
http://youtu.be/vnCR3G0b8oI?t=41m5s
Starting at 41:05 he talks about using it with att and T-Mobile. T-Mobile has LTE. Att dosent
t-Mobile yes?
10pmStalker said:
http://youtu.be/vnCR3G0b8oI?t=41m5s
Starting at 41:05 he talks about using it with att and T-Mobile. T-Mobile has LTE. Att dosent
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, didn't look at the video, when you say that he talks about using it with at&t and t-mobile, are you saying he says LTE works on T-Mobile?
yes, I will go and look at the video, just can't do that at work.
sanjsrik said:
Sorry, didn't look at the video, when you say that he talks about using it with at&t and t-mobile, are you saying he says LTE works on T-Mobile?
yes, I will go and look at the video, just can't do that at work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes thats right. He got LTE on T-mobile. He said it was way better speeds than he got with his G3
I find this incredibly ridiculous that news sources, websites, and even Huawei themselves doesn't know what networks the Mate 7 works on. I'll wait for 2 or 3 more people to confirm this works on T-Mobile before buying it. I'd want the 32GB/3GB RAM version, will that work with TMo LTE?
Good news if it works with T Mobile
Poi25 said:
I find this incredibly ridiculous that news sources, websites, and even Huawei themselves doesn't know what networks the Mate 7 works on. I'll wait for 2 or 3 more people to confirm this works on T-Mobile before buying it. I'd want the 32GB/3GB RAM version, will that work with TMo LTE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be going to Taipei and Thailand in November so maybe I can buy the Mate 7 there. My big worry is whether there would be various models or variations in hardware configurations. I still find it strange that it seems hard to determine if a phone works with a specific carrier until it gets used on that carrier. If the phone says it works on Bands 2 and 4 should it not definitely work on T Mobile's LTE network? I sometimes wonder if the cell phone companies purposely confuse the issue so you will not buy a different phone. I am not an iphone guy but I believe I read that the Sprint and US Cellular Iphones (and maybe Verizon?)
support virtually every cell phone band in the world, if true, that is what I would like to see in a phone. You never know when you might make a wrong turn and end up in Chad or Outer Mongolia!
Bill
Not sure what bands its connecting on... as Tmobile in USA looks like it has 700, 1700 and 1900... but none of those are the reported 1,3,7 LTE FDD bands that the the mate7 is supposed to have.... maybe it also has band 2?
EDIT: If this is true, then it all makes sense how the reviewer was getting full speeds on tmobile. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55468358&postcount=1 + http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55500623&postcount=3IF those bands are available while roaming, then it makes sense as band 2 would enable it. Also band 4.
http://www.zdnet.com/huawei-ascend-...inum-design-and-solid-performance-7000034132/
Further confirmation that the device gets LTE on T-mobile.
So according to this, it works on at LTE too?
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
shinji21 said:
So according to this, it works on at LTE too?
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. From the article:
" This version of the Ascend Mate 7 supports LTE and HSPA+ on T-Mobile and AT&T so I am enjoying it on T-Mobile's LTE network."
He didn't list a specific version, but I'm sure he would have mentioned if it were a US specific version as opposed to the normal Chinese version. So far all of the reviews that I have seen where Huawei has sent out a device have been the Chinese version.
Wonder which Chinese version it is since I want to pick one up next month when I travel. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
I don't know personally. Mayne you should go to the article and ask in the comments. They might be kind enough to let you know the specific model number.
I went ahead and asked which version he had working on t-mobile lte in the comments. He said...... "It shows model number MT7-L09. This one has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage"
He also mentioned with his pre paid ATT sim he was only getting HSPA+.
Interesting. It could be the APN with his att prepaid Sim. But at least it works for T-Mobile for sure.
Sent from my XT1053 using XDA Free mobile app
MT7-TL10 the 3 gig gold model appears to support identical bands as the 2 gig model above.
It appears aliexpress has updated the description online to include bands 2 and 4 now
nvygw171 said:
I went ahead and asked which version he had working on t-mobile lte in the comments. He said...... "It shows model number MT7-L09. This one has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage"
He also mentioned with his pre paid ATT sim he was only getting HSPA+.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This confirms what I posted in the other thread from the Youtube reviewer (Alex from AndroidHeadlines) who stated that he had gotten HSPA+ on AT&T, but LTE on T-Mobile.
When I Googled the model number (MT7-L09) it brought me to this page (http://consumer.huawei.com/en/mobile-phones/support/manuals/ascend-mate7.htm) which has a US/English support manual for the phone and specs that list bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/20/28.
MT7-L09 doesn't appear to be on sale anywhere online? I would rather the 3 gig model anyway. Might just pony up and try it. Shows the band's I need supported now. Coming from the note 3 this is exactly what I hoped the note 4 to be.
nvygw171 said:
MT7-L09 doesn't appear to be on sale anywhere online? I would rather the 3 gig model anyway. Might just pony up and try it. Shows the band's I need supported now. Coming from the note 3 this is exactly what I hoped the note 4 to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah me too. I am just worried about ordering from Aliexpress and having it take a month to get to me. They are notorious for taking forever to ship to the US.
I really wish Huawei would get their stuff together and get this device in people's hands. Just put it on your website and let people pre-order it at least.
Anyone happen to know if the T-Mobile version of the S7 Edge will work perfect on ATT network? I have a current pre-order for the ATT variant but remembering that my Note 4 on ATT was never completely root-able because ATT sucks about those things... I thought maybe I should/could buy the TMobile version and just use it on ATT .... Thoughts?
aaronv20 said:
Anyone happen to know if the T-Mobile version of the S7 Edge will work perfect on ATT network? I have a current pre-order for the ATT variant but remembering that my Note 4 on ATT was never completely root-able because ATT sucks about those things... I thought maybe I should/could buy the TMobile version and just use it on ATT .... Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has the radio bands to support it but AT&T will not allow non AT&T branded devices to use VoLTE.
THEGAMEPLAY94 said:
It has the radio bands to support it but AT&T will not allow non AT&T branded devices to use VoLTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I buy the T-Mobile variant it will work on AT&T network just not able to use the VoLTE capability of AT&T or T-Mobile (In my area AT&T has the best coverage so I can't switch networks)?
aaronv20 said:
So if I buy the T-Mobile variant it will work on AT&T network just not able to use the VoLTE capability of AT&T or T-Mobile (In my area AT&T has the best coverage so I can't switch networks)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I've read is that physically the phone supports all 4 major US carriers but each carrier version is firmware locked to that carrier so maybe not.
I personally used u firmware on my att but I really need the WiFi calling that's why I decided to come back to att firmware, but someone said that the t-mobile firmware can be flashed as well since both fw are on same BL now , I did flashed the t-mobile fw for some reason on this firmware I get full LTE bars in most of the places for example in my house with att I got only 1-2bars LTE the speed 4-7mb per second, and with t-mobile I get full 5 bars speed up to 60mb per second now I don't even need the WiFi calling anymore since I have signal in most places and the battery last around one hour longer a day
THEGAMEPLAY94 said:
It has the radio bands to support it but AT&T will not allow non AT&T branded devices to use VoLTE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aaronv20 said:
So if I buy the T-Mobile variant it will work on AT&T network just not able to use the VoLTE capability of AT&T or T-Mobile (In my area AT&T has the best coverage so I can't switch networks)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the AT&T service on a tmobile phone. It works great. If you want you can flash the AT&T firmware on it as well. I actually prefer the Tmobile firmware, it's faster and gets better battery life.
On the Tmobile firmware the only thing you lose is WifiCalling. VOLTE works great and I actually get better data speeds on this device than my AT&T devices.
I am leaving post paid service and going pre paid.
I since majority if prepaid US carriers are Sprint, T-Mobile and some AT&T. I want a GS 7 that will support all three carriers with as much bands possible.
Any suggestions or does the Sprint version support (once unlocked) support AT&T and T-Mobile.
Technically, any GSM unlocked phone would work on any GSM network, but that wasn't your question.
I ordered the sprint version to use with cricket (at&t network). What I read, the sprint version will support AT&T better than tmobile. In the end, once rooted, you could add in the band's not supported by default.
Music to my ears!
Will have to get the Sprint version and hope for the best.
S7E's sprint version can't turn off shutter camera. But im still happy with the 50%off promo
Has it been confirmed that the s7 uses sprints LTE advanced signal. I can't find a place where it says for sure like the g5's page .
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
bdsullivan said:
Has it been confirmed that the s7 uses sprints LTE advanced signal. I can't find a place where it says for sure like the g5's page .
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know this as well. I seem to get better 4G coverage in my area with the advanced signal enabled compared to my friends who don't support it.
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
VandyCWG said:
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet. I have the nexus 6 now and considering getting one for the SD card access alone. Is there a noticeable difference in data speeds with the LTE advanced, does it offer data and voice at the same time?
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
TehPirate_ said:
I'd like to know this as well. I seem to get better 4G coverage in my area with the advanced signal enabled compared to my friends who don't support it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It just seems that way, or it's because it has a better antenna in general. LTE Plus doesn't get you a stronger signal. The beamforming that helps at the cell edge is a tower-side enhancement. As long as your phone supports band 41, you're able to take advantage of LTE Plus - just not the Carrier Aggregation component.
I am very eager to see what happens in this regard as well. Sprint is notorious about locking down their phones to include very few LTE modes so that the phone is truly only for Sprint. Samsung's CDMA version of the Galaxy phones have been crippled in this way all the way up to the S6.
You can see various phones like the S4, S6, LG G4 and the S7. The S7 CMDA variant does not appear on this comparison chart yet but I'm hoping that it won't need to.
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/compare.php?p=4066,4769,4773,5081,4928
The last phone in that comparison is the iPhone 6s Plus, which is the same no matter which carrier you use worldwide. I really, really hope Samsung does the same thing.
The only other phones with lots of LTE bands like the iPhone on Sprint is the Nexus 5s/6p and Moto X Pure.
PLEASE let LG and Samsung include all the default LTE modes by default on the CDMA versions of their phones!
Edit: nope, Sprint made Samsung get rid of the most important worldwide LTE band, 7, along with 13 and 20. LAME.
More info here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=65825260&postcount=14
I'm thinking of buying the SM-G730P (Sprint) version of the Galaxy S7 even though I was all the years on Verizon and they are for sure the better service and have more coverage, at least here where I live, but the reason I wanna buy Sprint is just because Verizon just makes Samsung phones much more secure, and locks the boot loader, now the question is, First of all does Sprint still lock their LTE phones? And second of all, will an unlocked Sprint phone work on the Verizon network, and will it work overall perfectly when I'm aboard, on the International GSM network? And last of all is there a different in the build of this 2 phones, Verizon S7 and the Sprint S7, besides the bands
YankyA said:
I'm thinking of buying the SM-G730P (Sprint) version of the Galaxy S7 even though I was all the years on Verizon and they are for sure the better service and have more coverage, at least here where I live, but the reason I wanna buy Sprint is just because Verizon just makes Samsung phones much more secure, and locks the boot loader, now the question is, First of all does Sprint still lock their LTE phones? And second of all, will an unlocked Sprint phone work on the Verizon network, and will it work overall perfectly when I'm aboard, on the International GSM network? And last of all is there a different in the build of this 2 phones, Verizon S7 and the Sprint S7, besides the bands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today's news concludes that all US (Qualcomm) variants of the S7 indeed have a locked bootloader except for a select few apparently. Verizon and AT&T lock the bootloader tighter than others, such as Sprint. Sprint and T-Mobile didn't lock the bootloader themselves but rather Samsung. Samsung locked the bootloader to better add security to their consumers and there's been hints they may release an unlock kit/tool for developers but this hasn't been confirmed.
I got Sprint to unlock my G930P and works perfectly with AT&T. The S7, at a hardware level, is the same phone for all US variants where the only thing that changes is the software. Meaning a Sprint phone on the Verizon network would essentially have the same network performance as if you were to use an actual Verizon variant. Once the device is unlocked, at least for me, it knew my sim was on the AT&T network and switched the bands to AT&T on reboot.
Internationally, I'm not sure. There is an option to enable Global bands in one of the hidden menus in self-service but I'd assume it'll cover enough bands to provide you with what you need minimally. (I've never gone international before so can't say from experience)
TehPirate_ said:
Internationally, I'm not sure. There is an option to enable Global bands in one of the hidden menus in self-service but I'd assume it'll cover enough bands to provide you with what you need minimally. (I've never gone international before so can't say from experience)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSM will work as expected.
LTE, however, will be crippled depending on the country you go to.
The updated spec list:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=5081
According to that list, Sprint purposely took out three very important LTE bands: 7/13/20. Why does that matter? Because much of the world uses these three bands, especially band 7 and especially Europe! Sprint purposely crippled the LTE radio modes for this phone and I cannot understand why.
So yes, you'll probably get normal GSM and some LTE if they offer one of the other bands but Sprint purposely disabling or deleting the commonly used international LTE modes abroad is just anti-competitive and backwards.
Will rooting or unlocking this phone allow the use of the bands that were locked by Sprint?
asuh said:
The updated spec list:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=5081
but Sprint purposely disabling or deleting the commonly used international LTE modes abroad is just anti-competitive and backwards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
gigadigit said:
Will rooting or unlocking this phone allow the use of the bands that were locked by Sprint?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s5/general/how-to-add-rf-lte-frequency-bands-to-t2886059
VandyCWG said:
Yes, my new s7 uses lte adavanced
Splash screen says so
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The splash screen says LTE Plus, not LTE Advanced. LTE Plus is simply the new branding for Sprint SPARK. Was that the OPs question?
LTE Plus is not Sprint Spark , its more in depth. Carrier aggregation by antenna beam forming.
For those interested, Sprint is releasing an unlocked S7 that works on all the carriers and has a full range of US LTE bands:
http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=17870
You can ask your questions about your ZenFone AR here.
Any questions about:software,hardware,system updates and etc.
Sent from my K00E using Tapatalk
So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!
Hyacin said:
So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must buy ww or Europe rom Version.
Sent from my K00E using Tapatalk
Will any of the unlocked version work on Verizon?
I've been looking for complete specs... will any of the unlocked versions of this phone work on Verizon?
Make 8 GB Zenfone AR work on Verizon?
Hyacin said:
So I'm not too thrilled about the 6 GB/64 GB version we're apparently getting in Canada, and am seriously considering getting an 8 GB/128 GB version on eBay, but I'm concerned about it being a Taiwanese SKU/serial.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts as to whether it would work in Canada, if updates would come properly, etc - or better still if I could just flash it to the NA version on arrival, etc.? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also super interested in the ability get an 8 GB version working on Verizon. If someone knows for sure a flash would get the correct bands and it's not a hardware issue, that would be terrific.
Buying the 8/256GB RAM/storage version in Europe.
At the moment I am only able to find this phone available for purchase in Sweden with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Does anyone know if a version with the highest specs will be available in the future? Why aren't the phone available with all options in every country? Where can I go to get a version with better specs?
sureiguess said:
I am also super interested in the ability get an 8 GB version working on Verizon. If someone knows for sure a flash would get the correct bands and it's not a hardware issue, that would be terrific.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bought my Verizon one yesterday. Based on the unlocked one I briefly got to fondle it does look to be a hardware limit.
The unlocked ones will not work on Verizon Sprint says in specs on Amazon website
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------
The Verizon one seems good so far just hope we can get some development for it.
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk
[deleted]
Because Amazon website has misinformation.
Well, I bit the bullet and just picked mine up. Haven't done anything to it yet but plug it in. Battery was at 15% so I need to let it charge first. Hate saying goodbye to root though....
sunNsnow said:
[deleted]
Because Amazon website has misinformation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Amazon or global one is GSM network Verizon and Sprint use CDMA networks . So the info on their site is correct.
Sent from my ASUS_A002A using Tapatalk
sargon666777 said:
I've been looking for complete specs... will any of the unlocked versions of this phone work on Verizon?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my testing, the unlocked version will pick up Verizon LTE bands but calls fail since there is no VoLTE option on the phone. Did not pick up any of their 3G signals, and their system would not accept my IMEI as a compatible device. So it may work if you can convince Verizon to add the phone to their system, which is unlikely since they already have their own version.
FWIW I also tried it with a Sprint SIM, but got no service whatsoever and their system would not accept the IMEI. Thew in a Cricket/AT&T SIM and the phone worked as expected.
HipKat said:
Well, I bit the bullet and just picked mine up. Haven't done anything to it yet but plug it in. Battery was at 15% so I need to let it charge first. Hate saying goodbye to root though....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt you will miss it. The phone is beast enough. Enjoy it!
dantegl36 said:
I doubt you will miss it. The phone is beast enough. Enjoy it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I miss the high score I've built up in Klondike for the last 7 years and I miss all the notes I had in my Memo app and I definitely miss having Kernel options, because I'm not impressed with battery life at this point, but yeah, it's a beast. The screen is amazing. Like nothing I've ever seen before. The camera lives up to advertised and it's super fast.
Slack3r said:
From my testing, the unlocked version will pick up Verizon LTE bands but calls fail since there is no VoLTE option on the phone. Did not pick up any of their 3G signals, and their system would not accept my IMEI as a compatible device. So it may work if you can convince Verizon to add the phone to their system, which is unlikely since they already have their own version.
FWIW I also tried it with a Sprint SIM, but got no service whatsoever and their system would not accept the IMEI. Thew in a Cricket/AT&T SIM and the phone worked as expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which LTE Bands are you getting?
I'm on T-Mobile,seems we only have Band 2 support on the WW unlocked 8GB/128 GB Model.
I've already initiated a return w/the e-Bay seller,more than likely,it's going back tomorrow.
I'd been OK with Bands 2 & 4,which are listed here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73425969&postcount=2
The fact that they let this .pdf out & it's not even accurate speaks volumes for North American support:Tone-Deaf would be a compliment...............
KOLIOSIS said:
Which LTE Bands are you getting?
I'm on T-Mobile,seems we only have Band 2 support on the WW unlocked 8GB/128 GB Model.
I've already initiated a return w/the e-Bay seller,more than likely,it's going back tomorrow.
I'd been OK with Bands 2 & 4,which are listed here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=73425969&postcount=2
The fact that they let this .pdf out & it's not even accurate speaks volumes for North American support:Tone-Deaf would be a compliment...............
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to get service on 4 and 13 for Verizon, and 2 and 12 for Cricket/AT&T. It may support more, but I'm not aware of any apps that will let me scan for service on all bands. LTE Discovery mentioned a "Potential eCSFB issue" with the Verizon SIM which is likely because there was no CDMA support.
Fun fact... apparently the phone supports XLTE with Verizon, which led to a rather depressing speed test compared to my service with Cricket.
Slack3r said:
I was able to get service on 4 and 13 for Verizon, and 2 and 12 for Cricket/AT&T. It may support more, but I'm not aware of any apps that will let me scan for service on all bands. LTE Discovery mentioned a "Potential eCSFB issue" with the Verizon SIM which is likely because there was no CDMA support.
Fun fact... apparently the phone supports XLTE with Verizon, which led to a rather depressing speed test compared to my service with Cricket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are your results with the VZW model,or,the unlocked model?
KOLIOSIS said:
Are your results with the VZW model,or,the unlocked model?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These are from the Unlocked 8GB/128GB model from Amazon running the WW firmware.
Slack3r said:
These are from the Unlocked 8GB/128GB model from Amazon running the WW firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THX!,just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same model phone.
I'm gonna give it one more day,get around town & see if the connectivity is OK.
If spotty (w/Band 2 only) ,I'm sending it back,or,selling it on Swappa.
Outside of sparse LTE Band support,it's a nice phone,I really don't wanna part w/it so soon after getting it.
Haven't tried out the AR/VR Capabilities yet,but,I do like the display & the speaker quality/loudness.
TBH,I'm covered in WI-FI Most of the time,but,I did expect better LTE Band support nevertheless,especially for a DualSIM/Unlocked phone.
The fact that it's being sold on Amazon as-is seems to be Asus shooting themselves in the foot,certainly there'll be quite a few returns,once people find out connectivity is less than ideal for an unlocked phone,one that is marketed to the US/North America.
Update on mine, battery life is getting better now as the phone settles in. NOT impressed with Data though. I was in the country yesterday, my ASUS Zenpad had 2 bars of 4G and the Zenfone was in roam. Everything else is great, and living without root is bearable, I guess. Fortunately, my 7 year high score on Klondike is an X-Box Live/Google Play game and the score were carried over from the X Box cloud. I know that sounds silly but 7 years over multiple devices is a long time to build up a high score and was a major stress point going to a locked down device
So I am looking to buy an international (or Latin) version of either the S10+ or the Note 10+.
I am on T-Mobile in the U.S.
1. How "bad" will it be if the phone has 3 out of T-Mobile's main bands? It only lacks 71, so what's the impact will be if I don't have band 71 on this phone with T-Mobile?
2. I read in the forum about flashing T-Mobile firmware on unlocked phones. How necessary is it? I prefer not to mess with flashing anything; done it in the past, I am not 'afraid' of it, but I just don't feel like going that route. Will I be missing anything from the T-Mobile network and services if I keep the phone in its stock ROM?
For example: Wifi Calling (important to me), VoLTE, etc. Will I have access to these features if I don't flash the carrier's firmware?
Thank you.
Band 71 is used only in rural areas where cell towers are very far apart . My phones have never used band 71. If you don't know what bands your phone typically is using you can download a free signal app from the Play Store that will show what band your phone is connected to. Unless you live in a very rural area or frequently find yourself in rural areas it's unlikely you need band 71.
Flashing T-Mobile firmware shouldn't be necessary. I don't have the international S10+ but rather the US unlocked model and I get both WiFi Calling and Volte fine without T-Mobile firmware.
I've used many different models of international unlocked phones from Xiaomi and Huawei on T-Mobile and always got both WiFi Calling and Volte to work with only one exception--the Mate 20 Pro. I had to get rid of that phone even though I really liked it because calls kept going to voicemail without the phone ever ringing first.
It turns out that on T-Mobile if your phone supports band 12 it also needs to support Volte or calls go straight to voicemail without ringing if the caller is using Volte . I never had that problem previously because in 5 years of using international unlocked phones the M20P was the first where Volte didn't work on T-Mobile.
There were lots of posts from T-Mobile customers in the XDA M20P threads about calls going straight to voicemail. I haven't read a single post about that issue with the S10+ so it's pretty safe to assume that the international S10+ works fine with Volte on T-Mobile.
Until the S8 Samsung didn't even sell a US unlocked model--everyone in the US with unlocked Samsung phones were using the international models with the Exynos chip and those phones always worked perfectly with T-Mobile which is very BYOP friendly (unlike AT&T).
The only thing you would be missing on the vanilla Samsung firmware is Visual Voicemail but last I checked you could just download the official T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app from the Play Store.
You would also receive your OTA updates from Samsung rather than T-Mobile but that's actually a plus because the unlocked Exynos models receive updates much more quickly than all of the US models including the unlocked Snapdragon models.
Sorry for the very long answer but I wanted to be thorough.
You should be fine with an international unlocked S10+ on T-Mobile. This is a much better phone than unlocked models from Google Pixel and One Plus so I would recommend going for it.
No manual flashing on your part will be necessary.
@jhs39 - Thank you for your extensive response. It is greatly appreciated!
OK, so I mostly use Band 4 with my current phone, which is one of TMB's main bands, so it seems like that indeed the lack of 71 won't be an issue.
However, how do I know if the Int. version will support VoLTE on the TMB network? I can't see anywhere any information about this phone even supports VoLTE (other than the carrier's model of course).
What about Video Calling?
Thanks again.
sbi1 said:
@jhs39 - Thank you for your extensive response. It is greatly appreciated!
OK, so I mostly use Band 4 with my current phone, which is one of TMB's main bands, so it seems like that indeed the lack of 71 won't be an issue.
However, how do I know if the Int. version will support VoLTE on the TMB network? I can't see anywhere any information about this phone even supports VoLTE (other than the carrier's model of course).
What about Video Calling?
Thanks again.
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If the international model didn't support Volte on T-Mobile there would be posts on XDA complaining about calls going straight to voicemail without the phone ringing. There were multiple threads about that issue in the M20P section but I haven't seen a single complaint about that happening with the S10+.
This phone has been out since early Spring so if there was a problem using the international model with T-Mobile somebody would have reported it by now.
I don’t know anything about video calling though because I use T-Mobile's network via an MVNO and my carrier doesn't offer video calling.
jhs39 said:
Band 71 is used only in rural areas where cell towers are very far apart . My phones have never used band 71. If you don't know what bands your phone typically is using you can download a free signal app from the Play Store that will show what band your phone is connected to. Unless you live in a very rural area or frequently find yourself in rural areas it's unlikely you need band 71.
Flashing T-Mobile firmware shouldn't be necessary. I don't have the international S10+ but rather the US unlocked model and I get both WiFi Calling and Volte fine without T-Mobile firmware.
I've used many different models of international unlocked phones from Xiaomi and Huawei on T-Mobile and always got both WiFi Calling and Volte to work with only one exception--the Mate 20 Pro. I had to get rid of that phone even though I really liked it because calls kept going to voicemail without the phone ever ringing first.
It turns out that on T-Mobile if your phone supports band 12 it also needs to support Volte or calls go straight to voicemail without ringing if the caller is using Volte . I never had that problem previously because in 5 years of using international unlocked phones the M20P was the first where Volte didn't work on T-Mobile.
There were lots of posts from T-Mobile customers in the XDA M20P threads about calls going straight to voicemail. I haven't read a single post about that issue with the S10+ so it's pretty safe to assume that the international S10+ works fine with Volte on T-Mobile.
Until the S8 Samsung didn't even sell a US unlocked model--everyone in the US with unlocked Samsung phones were using the international models with the Exynos chip and those phones always worked perfectly with T-Mobile which is very BYOP friendly (unlike AT&T).
The only thing you would be missing on the vanilla Samsung firmware is Visual Voicemail but last I checked you could just download the official T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app from the Play Store.
You would also receive your OTA updates from Samsung rather than T-Mobile but that's actually a plus because the unlocked Exynos models receive updates much more quickly than all of the US models including the unlocked Snapdragon models.
Sorry for the very long answer but I wanted to be thorough.
You should be fine with an international unlocked S10+ on T-Mobile. This is a much better phone than unlocked models from Google Pixel and One Plus so I would recommend going for it.
No manual flashing on your part will be necessary.
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That's odd. I'm using a mate 20X and the although it lacks bands 66 and 71 I don't get calls going to voicemail. In fact when viewing my historical phone signal via gsam app, it shows that I always receive a better signal than even the S10+ that I'm currently using. Both devices on T-Mobile USA.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
sbi1 said:
So I am looking to buy an international (or Latin) version of either the S10+ or the Note 10+.
I am on T-Mobile in the U.S.
1. How "bad" will it be if the phone has 3 out of T-Mobile's main bands? It only lacks 71, so what's the impact will be if I don't have band 71 on this phone with T-Mobile?
2. I read in the forum about flashing T-Mobile firmware on unlocked phones. How necessary is it? I prefer not to mess with flashing anything; done it in the past, I am not 'afraid' of it, but I just don't feel like going that route. Will I be missing anything from the T-Mobile network and services if I keep the phone in its stock ROM?
For example: Wifi Calling (important to me), VoLTE, etc. Will I have access to these features if I don't flash the carrier's firmware?
Thank you.[/QUOTE
I have the Hong Kong variant SM-G975 with T-Mobile. No issues with bands, VoLTE. Wifi Calling or 4G, no impact. You won't need to flash the device.
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Click to collapse
varcor said:
I have the Hong Kong variant SM-G975 with T-Mobile. No issues with bands, VoLTE. Wifi Calling or 4G, no impact. You won't need to flash the device.
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Click to collapse
Thanks @varcor . What about Video calling?
BTW - is it 975F or something else?
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best price I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
varcor said:
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
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Oh yeah, the legendary Never MSRP.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Yep, I've bought a number of devices from them, won't use anyone else. Lowest prices, great customer service as well.
varcor said:
I use Skype for Video Calling, it works fine. Mine is an SM-G9750, the best price I've seen is on Ebay. The only issue is when you first get the device you'll need to change the language since it's setup in Mandarin. A bit challenging but not a big deal. The Ebay vendor is in Houston which is where the device ships from, only takes a few days.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Samsung-Ga...im-FACTORY-UNLOCKED-6-4-8GB-RAM-/192846270776
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I must the F model. I travel to Israel with a local SIM and they use the F model, and it's the only possibility I have to use their WiFi calling while there. I am not 100% sure it'll work because of firmware but better chances with F model.
Thanks.
Limeybastard said:
That's odd. I'm using a mate 20X and the although it lacks bands 66 and 71 I don't get calls going to voicemail. In fact when viewing my historical phone signal via gsam app, it shows that I always receive a better signal than even the S10+ that I'm currently using. Both devices on T-Mobile USA.
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Click to collapse
Not having bands 66 & 71 don't cause the problem with T-Mobile calls going straight to voicemail--if band 12 is supported on a phone T-Mobile assumes the phone also supports Volte and if it doesn't then you get calls going straight to voicemail.
I'm not familiar with the Mate 20X but before the M20P I had a P20 Pro, Mate 10 Pro and P10 Pro and none of those phones had an issue because T-Mobile Volte worked with all of them.
It's also possible the problem with the P20 Pro was fixed after I got rid of the phone since it was a firmware issue that was fixable in a software update . I kept mine for 6 months before throwing in the towel. The only workaround was to turn off 4G in the network settings. With 4G off you would receive all calls since Volte is a 4G function.
I personally love Huawei phones. Hopefully after Trump is gone all of the nonsense with Huawei being barred from using Google apps and bullied out of the US market will go away but they might decide selling their products here isn't worth the aggravation.
I've also used a bunch of unlocked Xiaomi phones on T-Mobile with no issues. A nice feature in MIUI is that if Volte doesn't work out of the box there's a dial code you can enter to manually enable it.
Band 66 is an offload for band 4 when band 4 traffic is high but if a phone doesn't have band 66 it just stays on 4 so not having 66 on an unlocked phone has never caused any problems for me.
Band 71 is only live in parts of the country and is relatively new. It can transmit a signal over unusually long distances and is used to provide cell coverage in rural areas where it would cost too much to build a full network of cell towers.
jhs39 said:
Not having bands 66 & 71 don't cause the problem with T-Mobile calls going straight to voicemail--if band 12 is supported on a phone T-Mobile assumes the phone also supports Volte and if it doesn't then you get calls going straight to voicemail.
I'm not familiar with the Mate 20X but before the M20P I had a P20 Pro, Mate 10 Pro and P10 Pro and none of those phones had an issue because T-Mobile Volte worked with all of them.
It's also possible the problem with the P20 Pro was fixed after I got rid of the phone since it was a firmware issue that was fixable in a software update . I kept mine for 6 months before throwing in the towel. The only workaround was to turn off 4G in the network settings. With 4G off you would receive all calls since Volte is a 4G function.
I personally love Huawei phones. Hopefully after Trump is gone all of the nonsense with Huawei being barred from using Google apps and bullied out of the US market will go away but they might decide selling their products here isn't worth the aggravation.
I've also used a bunch of unlocked Xiaomi phones on T-Mobile with no issues. A nice feature in MIUI is that if Volte doesn't work out of the box there's a dial code you can enter to manually enable it.
Band 66 is an offload for band 4 when band 4 traffic is high but if a phone doesn't have band 66 it just stays on 4 so not having 66 on an unlocked phone has never caused any problems for me.
Band 71 is only live in parts of the country and is relatively new. It can transmit a signal over unusually long distances and is used to provide cell coverage in rural areas where it would cost too much to build a full network of cell towers.
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P20 pro was certified and worked fully on T-Mobile , most devices after that were not.
I don't think my mate 20x connected to band 12, but if it did, then yes it'll probably go straight to voicemail.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
sbi1 said:
I must the F model. I travel to Israel with a local SIM and they use the F model, and it's the only possibility I have to use their WiFi calling while there. I am not 100% sure it'll work because of firmware but better chances with F model.
Thanks.
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The SM-G975F is the Exynos SoC variant for Europe. The SM-G9750 has the Snapdragon SoC and dual SIM's as well. Wifi Calling will work on both devices in any region, including Israel as long as the service provider offers it. The only thing I would recommend is you do some research on Exynos vs Snapdragon SoC's in the S10. Good luck!
varcor said:
The SM-G975F is the Exynos SoC variant for Europe. The SM-G9750 has the Snapdragon SoC and dual SIM's as well. Wifi Calling will work on both devices in any region, including Israel as long as the service provider offers it. The only thing I would recommend is you do some research on Exynos vs Snapdragon SoC's in the S10. Good luck!
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I am aware of the differences between the two chips.
In regards to WiFi Calling - I am a bit skeptical. This provider does have WiFi calling services, however they have a list of devices that are supported. Clearly they list devices and firmwares that they sell, not BYOD phones, and they sell the F version. I currently use ZTE Axon 7, I have WiFi calling on T-Mobile but it does not work on the Israeli network and when I try to 'register' it for this service through their app, it clearly says that the device is not supported.
That being said - I can't tell you if my phone doesn't work on their WF calling because it's not even sold in Israel. It could very well be that any version of Galaxy S10+ will be supported regardless of firmware. simply because it is sold there. Clearly there is no way to know this beforehand. I asked them, they of course can only guarantee phones that are sold by them and are on the list.
BTW - the Israeli version of the 975F is single SIM, they don't have the D/S, although I can't imagine this should have any impact of phone supporting or not supporting WF calling.
What's the difference between the F and the O, other than the region they are sold in?
Thanks.
Limeybastard said:
P20 pro was certified and worked fully on T-Mobile , most devices after that were not.
I don't think my mate 20x connected to band 12, but if it did, then yes it'll probably go straight to voicemail.
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Devices don't need to be certified by T-Mobile to work with Volte. All of my recent Xiaomi phones worked with Volte--none of the models were officially sold in the US or certified by T-Mobile. The P20 Pro was not sold in the US so there was zero reason for it to be certified by T-Mobile. The last Huawei phone officially sold here was the Mate 10 Pro. AT&T and Verizon require that devices be certified by them to work with Volte on their networks but T-Mobile does not. T-Mobile is very BYOP friendly.
jhs39 said:
Devices don't need to be certified by T-Mobile to work with Volte. All of my recent Xiaomi phones worked with Volte--none of the models were officially sold in the US or certified by T-Mobile. The P20 Pro was not sold in the US so there was zero reason for it to be certified by T-Mobile. The last Huawei phone officially sold here was the Mate 10 Pro. AT&T and Verizon require that devices be certified by them to work with Volte on their networks but T-Mobile does not. T-Mobile is very BYOP friendly.
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Thanks for the clarification. So why is it then that same device , but using different sim card would show the Volte toggle or hide it from the user menu? Example, mate 20 does have Volte capabilities yet its missing the Volte toggle switch. I know on the Xioami devices one can enter a #*code to force it show that option. I think what makes it even more convulsing is that Huawei global versions have various region firmware via their Cust codes. Each one I noticed behaves slighly different using same T-Mobile SIM card. Cheers
You mentioned all calls went to VM on up 20pro, why do you think that was the case, you mentioned earlier that you thought possibly it may have been firmware related amongst other things.
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sbi1 said:
I am aware of the differences between the two chips.
In regards to WiFi Calling - I am a bit skeptical. This provider does have WiFi calling services, however they have a list of devices that are supported. Clearly they list devices and firmwares that they sell, not BYOD phones, and they sell the F version. I currently use ZTE Axon 7, I have WiFi calling on T-Mobile but it does not work on the Israeli network and when I try to 'register' it for this service through their app, it clearly says that the device is not supported.
That being said - I can't tell you if my phone doesn't work on their WF calling because it's not even sold in Israel. It could very well be that any version of Galaxy S10+ will be supported regardless of firmware. simply because it is sold there. Clearly there is no way to know this beforehand. I asked them, they of course can only guarantee phones that are sold by them and are on the list.
BTW - the Israeli version of the 975F is single SIM, they don't have the D/S, although I can't imagine this should have any impact of phone supporting or not supporting WF calling.
What's the difference between the F and the O, other than the region they are sold in?
Thanks.
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You're correct regarding Single SIM for the SM-G975F, the Dual SIM option is available in the SM-G975F/DS. I personally wouldn't consider obtaining a device in Israel if the majority of the time I'm the US. The major differences are SoC's, a minor difference in CPU Clock Speed and Cores. The SM-G975F has no FM Radio and offers fewer Primary Network capabilities. You can view a back-to-back comparison here.
https://www.phonemore.com/compare/p...gb-vs-galaxy-s10-plus-sm-g9750-128gb/10134260
This is quite different than your original question but with that being stated I would be confident enough in the SM-G9750's compatibility with the Israeli network for Wifi Calling. The worst case is not having Wifi Calling in Israel, which isn't an absolute necessity however you'll have the Snapdragon SoC which is a far better chipset with fewer bugs. For me it's the obvious choice if I were faced with your considerations.
You're most welcome
varcor said:
You're correct regarding Single SIM for the SM-G975F, the Dual SIM option is available in the SM-G975F/DS. I personally wouldn't consider obtaining a device in Israel if the majority of the time I'm the US. The major differences are SoC's, a minor difference in CPU Clock Speed and Cores. The SM-G975F has no FM Radio and offers fewer Primary Network capabilities. You can view a back-to-back comparison here.
https://www.phonemore.com/compare/p...gb-vs-galaxy-s10-plus-sm-g9750-128gb/10134260
This is quite different than your original question but with that being stated I would be confident enough in the SM-G9750's compatibility with the Israeli network for Wifi Calling. The worst case is not having Wifi Calling in Israel, which isn't an absolute necessity however you'll have the Snapdragon SoC which is a far better chipset with fewer bugs. For me it's the obvious choice if I were faced with your considerations.
You're most welcome
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SoC, meaning the chip?
You see, your definition of "worst case not having Wifi calling" is important to me , simply because where I usually stay in Israel there is almost no reception at all (inside the house I am staying in), that's the main reason I want a device that will be able to use their Wifi calling.
Also, I looked at the eBay seller that you mention and I don't even think he carries the O model any more, all I see is the F model, unless of course I am missing something.
Thanks.
sbi1 said:
SoC, meaning the chip?
You see, your definition of "worst case not having Wifi calling" is important to me , simply because where I usually stay in Israel there is almost no reception at all (inside the house I am staying in), that's the main reason I want a device that will be able to use their Wifi calling.
Also, I looked at the eBay seller that you mention and I don't even think he carries the O model any more, all I see is the F model, unless of course I am missing something.
Thanks.
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SoC is System on Chip, same as Chipset. If Wifi calling is a top priority buy the Exynos device to be certain but be advised there are numerous concerns over the chipset on XDA and other sites, plus Network Aggrigaton for Exynos in the US has issues with some T-Mobile clients. You may lose Wifi Calling or VoLTE in the US.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/s10-plus/help/exynos-att-t-mobile-t3920491
They still offer the SM-G9750, the link I shared is correct, not sure you missed something. The also sell the SM-G975F and SM-G975F/DS.